English

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Elizabethan Altar Cloth, St Faith's Church, Bacton
 
Pentecost Altar with thematic altar cloth

Alternative forms

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altarcloth, altar-cloth

Noun

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altar cloth (plural altar cloths)

  1. A decorative cloth that is used to cover the top, front, and sides of an altar.
    • 1993, G. Thomas Ryan, The Sacristy Manual, page 49:
      With the expansion of possibilities for altar cloths and their ability to express the given seasons, we are rightly less inclined to use extra hangings (sometimes called paraments) for festivals.
    • 2010, I.S. Cooper, Ceremonies of The Young Rite, page 305:
      The altar cloths and eucharistic vessels will be placed on the credence.
    • 2015, David Yonke, Sin, Shame & Secrets:
      According to the evidence label, it was an altar cloth, slightly yellowed, about ten feet long and two and a half feet wide, with lace trim on three sides.